Refugees International: Articles: Press Release: Returning Iraqi Refugees Face Difficult Conditions

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Press Release: Returning Iraqi Refugees Face Difficult Conditions

12/06/2007

For Immediate Release

Contact: Vanessa Parra, 202-904-0319 (cell)
vanessa@refugeesinternational.org

Returning Iraqi Refugees Face Difficult Conditions
Increased Support for All Iraqi Refugees Still Needed

Washington, DC -- Refugees International applauded the United Nations and the Government of Iraq for launching an emergency plan to assist refugees who are returning home, and urged the U.S. and international community to continue supporting all displaced Iraqis in Iraq and in the region. Refugees International called on the UN and government of Iraq to establish longer-term, concrete assistance plans for Iraqis who return home after they have exhausted their resources and can no longer afford to live in refuge countries. However, with 4.7 million people displaced by the violence in Iraq, Refugees International also urged the U.S. and the UN to increase support for refugees throughout the region and internally displaced people.

“We all hope for the day when Iraq is stable and prosperous enough to welcome 4.7 million displaced people home, but the country isn’t ready for massive returns now,” said Kristele Younes, Advocate for Refugees International. “The U.S. and Iraqi governments have done too little to help Syria and Jordan who are hosting the majority of the 2.5 million Iraqi refugees in their countries, and now the Iraqi government has not adequately planned for people returning home. If we want to see a stable Iraq, we must increase assistance to displaced Iraqis inside the country and abroad.”

Although improved security in parts of Iraq is encouraging some displaced Iraqis to return home, people are primarily returning because they have exhausted their resources and can no longer afford to live in refuge countries. With visa restrictions preventing Iraqis from working and little humanitarian assistance available, the Iraqi government payments of $800 to returning families are a powerful inducement to impoverished refugees.

Despite the government of Iraq’s pledge to allocate $110 million for returning families, Refugees International is concerned that there has been no adequate long-term planning for those returning to Iraq. Many will not be able to go back to their homes, as sectarian cleansing has created a “balkanized” nation, and will join the ranks of the millions displaced within Iraq. Internally displaced people are running out of places to go, as 11 out of Iraq’s 18 Governorates have closed their internal borders, unable to cope with the influx of displaced. According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, 83% of the internally displaced are women and children, many in dire need of food, shelter, education and health assistance.

“Return under these circumstances is not voluntary or sustainable, and will create neither a stable Iraq nor a stable region,” Younes continued. “Large-scale returns at this point threaten to destabilize Iraq and reverse the gains we have seen. We encourage the UN and the government of Iraq to continue planning for how to assist refugees and displaced people as they return home while assisting the displaced in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.”

More than 2.2 million Iraqis are displaced inside the country, and an additional 2.5 million have fled to neighboring countries. The Iraqi Red Crescent and the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration say that between 25,000 and 30,000 refugees and some 10,000 internally displaced have returned between September and November. The newly announced plan by the UN and Government of Iraq aims to help 30,000 Iraqis.

Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises. Since November 2006, the organization has conducted four missions to the Middle East to assess the needs of Iraqi refugees and work with international leaders to develop effective solutions to this crisis. Our most recent mission to Lebanon, Syria and Egypt returned in early November. For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/iraq

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